ACW

Sunday, 16 July 2017

The Power of Storytelling by Lynda Alsford

I love the way Jesus spoke in parables. There is
something about story telling that makes information come alive. Most young
people seem to love hearing stories being read to them. I remember my younger sister
knew all the Mister Men stories off by heart by the age of three. I can
remember reading her one of them one night. I paraphrased one page rather than
reading exactly what was written on the page. She corrected me immediately even
though she had not learned to read by then.
She remembered every word exactly as it was written. She loved having people
read the stories to her. Stories are easy to remember. People remember stories.

Jesus used story telling to speak to the crowds. He used
illustrations from everyday life, speaking in Aramaic, the language of the
people. He was the master of story telling.
I have never written fiction, only autobiographical books. I would love
to be able to write a novel one day. A well told story is very powerful in
communicating information.

One thing that puzzled me is Jesus’ reply to a question he
was asked about why he used parables to speak to the people. In Matthew 13:10-15

“Jesus’
disciples came and said to him, “Why do you use parables when you speak to the
crowds?”

11 Jesus replied, “Because they haven’t received the secrets of the kingdom of
heaven, but you have.12 For those who have will receive more and they will have more than
enough. But as for those who don’t have, even the little they have will be
taken away from them.13 This is why I speak to the crowds in parables: although they see,
they don’t really see; and although they hear, they don’t really hear or
understand.14 What Isaiah prophesied has become completely true for them:

You will hear, to be sure, but never understand;

and you will certainly see but never
recognize what you are seeing.

15 For this people’s senses
have become calloused,

and they’ve become hard of hearing,

and they’ve shut their eyes

so that they won’t see with their eyes

or hear with their ears

or understand with their minds,

and change their hearts and lives that I may
heal them.”

For years, I couldn’t understand why he spoke in parables
rather than being direct. The quote from Isaiah implied to me that he didn’t
want them to understand. But I know now that is not why. By using storytelling
the onus is on us, the listeners, to hear the message. If we really want to
hear from God we will listen with open ears, asking God to help us understand.
But if someone doesn’t really want to know God the story will pass over them
without them understanding it. We listen to stories with our hearts. Maybe that
is another reason why Jesus used story. Those whose hearts are turned to Him
will hear what Jesus is saying. Praise
God for the power of story telling.

Lynda Alsford is a sea loving, cat
loving GP administrator and writes in her spare time. She has written two
books, He
Never Let Go describes her journey through a major crisis of faith
whilst working as an evangelist at a lively Church in Chiswick, West
London. Being
Known describes how God set her free from food addiction. Both books
are available in paperback and on kindle on Amazon.co.uk
and Amazon.com.
She writes a newsletter called Seeking the Healer, in which she shares the
spiritual insights she has gained on her journey. When she finally starts her
blog, it will also be called Seeking the Healer and you can find out more about
both at www.lyndaalsford.com.

4 comments:

Interesting that the passage you quote was omitted from today's Gospel reading. I recently discovered that certain passages are completely missed out in some translations (and I don't mean the Apocrypha).I thought I was reading a faulty Bible, but compared it with other translations and discovered a footnote about what was and wasn't included in ancient texts. The RSV I was looking at did not include John 7:53-8:11. I felt rather like your little sister, Lynda, complaining about the story being different! Sue

I have always loved history but not the dry accumulation and parroting of facts or the erudite political debates through the centuries: I love the stories and the characters. Why spoil a good story with the truth? - I guess that's my maxim.